Process for utilizing the skins of chondropterygians and plagiostomes



Patented July 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES or rains, FRANCE, Annals-terrain BENDIXEN, or cornu- HAGEN. DENMARK.

ALFRED nrranirnnron,

PROCESS FOR UTILIZING THE SKINS O GHONDROPTERYGIANS AND PLAGIOSTOMES.'.

No Drawing. Application filed June 4, 1924, Serial No. 717,892, and in Denmark June 7, 1923.

This invention relates to a process for utilizing the skins of chondropterygians and plagiostomes by which the skins are after a suitable pretreatment split into their separate fibres which are then used in the textile industry for the manufacture of the most varying textile products.

As to the manufacture of textile products it has heretofore been'proposed to use animal fibres for theproduction of yarn and the like and the proposals had for their objects to extricate the fibres from both tanned and untanned hides. It has not been possible, however, to manufacture real fabrics=in the proposed ways owing to the fact that only the employment of common hides and leather for said purposes has been aimed at. I 1

Contrary to the hitherto known processes according to this invention we'use for the manufacture of the textile products untanned skins of chondropterygians and plagiostomes and only the use of these special skins enables us to produce animal fibres adapted for use, in some way or another, in

the textile industry.

The fibres of these skins have proved to belong, silk-like threads able to bespun in the ordinary manner. Experiments have shown that fibres of shark skins had a tensiie strength more than 6 times as great as that of fibres of ox-hides and the like.-

Besides a great strength fabrics made from these special fibres show a high degree of waterproofiiess so that by way of example it may be stated that they may be profitably used for raincoats and the like.

It has proved less favourable to use other fish skins than the skins of the above mentioned kinds of fishes; firstly the fibres themselves were far from as long and strong as the fibres of chondropterygians and plagiostomes but much more alike those to be got from oxhides and the like, and secondly practical difficulties raised from the disengagement of the single fibres from said other skins, as the fibres werepartly destroyed by the removal of the scales of the fishes.

Chondropterygians and plagiostomes have no scales but ordinarily prickles or small horn plates the removal of which does not injure the fibres.

By the performance of the method we remove firstly the prickles of horn plates from the raw skins bymethods known per se, as e. g., by treating them with diluted acids, whereafter the skins thus freed from prickles are subjected to a swelling process which is preferably carried out by a mixture of sodium sulphid and water in a very weak solution, because fish skins endure ordinarily only much weaker solutions than skins of animals livingon earth. A solution of 1 kg. sodiumsulphide'in about lOO l of water has proved favourable for this swelling.

Thereupon the proper disengagement of the fibres takes place, the skins being carded up. j

In order to make the fibres durable they must be subjected to a preserving process which may take place according to the in vention either before or after the carding, the swelled skins or the disengaged fibres being treated with suitable mixtures or extracts from'the gastric juice or urine of the species of fishes in question, or with one of 1,59z,1sa

PATENT Q EFICEq f said materials, or eventually with other pre serving means. Of course, it is a great advantage that liquids. found in the fishes themselves may be employed for this preserving. Hereby we are enabled to supply on the very fishing stations and in an easy and economical way an excellent raw terial for the textile manufactures.

The disengaged fibresare packed into bales as flax and hempand go to thetextile manufacturers, or are employed for the production of the above mentioned masses which production will be more nearly explained below.

As stated, it is the special quality of the fibres of chondropterygians and plagiostomes which makes it possible at all to produce a raw material to be practically used in the textile industry when the above described method is employed. The materials hitherto produced from other animal fibres have not been capable of being manufactured into textile products of any kind but have been used as less valuable substitutes for yarn and the like.

As stated, the disengaged and prepared fibres may be employed the manufacture of special masses to be used, e. g., as insulating means. hen the mixture of more or less ground fibres and formaldehyde specified below is subjected to a great pressure very hard objects, say plates for gramophones and the like, may be produced.

By the production of these masses we proceed practically so that the fibres are more or less finely ground according to the wanted consistence of the products. To this we add a suitable cement, say glue gained from chondropterygians orplagioston'ics, whereupon the mixture is pressed into the wanted shape and left to dry.

If we want to produce specially hard objects we add furthermore formaldehyde and press the mixture very hardly, preferably by hydraulic pressure.

If the finished product should have a special colour small quantities of pigments may be added to the mixture. Also greater or smaller quantities of filling materials may be added. The finished product has a great insulating power as to electricity, heat, and moisture, and when containing formaldehyde also a great hardness.

In all cases the invention relates to the utilization of the skins of chondroptcrygians and plagiostomes, the special fibres of these skins being disengaged and used for the productions of the various materials stated above.

We claim:

1. A process for utilizing the skins of chondropterygians and plagiostomes, characterized in that after a suitable Pre-treatment with diluted acids the skins are split up into their separate fibres which are subjected to a preserving treatment, if such treatment was not included in the pre-treatment, whereafter the fibres are employed in the textile industry.

2. A process according to claim 1 characterized in that the pre-treatment of the skins consists in a removal of the prickles or horn plates in a known manner and in a swelling by a diluted watery dissolution of sodium sulphide, whereby before the disengagement of the fibres which is performed by a carding process the skins are made durable by a treatment with solutions containing the gastric juice of said fishes.

3. A process according to claim 2 characterized in that the skins are made durable by treating them with solutions containing a liquid of said fishes.

4. A process according to claim 2 characterized in that the skins are made durable by treating them with solutions containing mixtures of the gastric juice and urine of said fishes.

5. A process according to claim 2 characterized in that the skins are made dura filc by treating them with suitable preserving means.

6. A process according to claim 1 characterized in that the pretreatment of the skins consists in a removal of the prickles or horn plates in a known manner and a swelling with a diluted watery dissolution of sodium sulphide. whereby after their disengagement which is performed by a carding process the fibres are made durable by a treatment with solutions containing the galtric juice of said fishes.

7. A process according to claim 6 characterized in that the disengaged fibres are made durable by treating them with dissolutions containing a liquid of said fishes.

8. A process according to claim 6 characterized in that the disengaged fibres are made durable by treating them with dissolutions containing mixtures of the gastric juice and urine of said fishes.

9. A process according to claim 6 char acterized in that the disengaged fibres are made durable by treating them with suitable preserving means.

10. A textile product of any kind produced from the liberated fibres of chondropterygians and plagiostomes.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

ALFRED EH'RENREICH. KRISTIAN BENDIXEN. 

